Chapter 5: Funeral Hall
A flash of blazing white lightning streaked across the night sky, accompanied by a deafening roar, breaking the silence of the night.
In the magistrate's residence, the sacrificial banners hanging under the eaves swayed in the wind, and the servants were busy in a mess.
"Hurry up, hurry up, cover what needs to be covered, and seal what needs to be sealed." The housekeeper held a lantern and directed his subordinates to run around in the yard.
"It's really strange. There are no clouds in the sky during the day, but the weather changes suddenly at night." The housekeeper murmured, feeling very restless.
I was busy arranging the funeral during the day and thought I could finally take a break at night, but the weather changed so suddenly and judging from the situation, it would probably rain a lot.
He had been with the county magistrate for more than 30 years, and he personally supervised almost all the affairs of the mansion. The county magistrate liked to collect rare treasures, and some of the items had to be ventilated and exposed to the sun when the weather was good, and to be prevented from being soaked in water when it was windy and rainy. He also had to be very careful when moving them to avoid bumping or scratching them. There were more than a hundred of these items alone.
We just finished moving everything out this morning, and then there was a funeral, so the altar outside had to be taken down, and the sacrificial pagoda on the eaves had to be relocated and rehung. We were busy from day to night, and then again at night.
After a day of mental torture, the housekeeper was filled with anger and would curse and kick anyone he disliked.
The servants were shocked and frightened, and those who were moving things ran even faster. The whole mansion seemed to be in chaos, but in fact, they were busy in an orderly manner.
At this time, some sensible people would come forward to show their courtesy.
"Hey, brother-in-law." A servant came to the side of the butler, clasped his hands together, rubbed his palms together, and smiled flatteringly.
The housekeeper glanced at him and recognized that this was the younger brother of his most favored concubine in the seventh room, who often followed him around and did things. His expression softened a lot.
"What are you doing here if you don't help?"
The servant chuckled again, "I just wanted to come and help you, brother-in-law, relieve your worries and fatigue."
The housekeeper knew that this kid was probably up to something bad again, "If you have something to say, say it quickly. If you have something to say, say it quickly."
"That's it..." The servant looked around and whispered something into the butler's ear.
"Nonsense!" The butler suddenly raised his voice, realizing something was wrong. He pointed at the servant and whispered, "Don't you see what time it is? It's the young master's funeral. The master has fainted countless times in front of him, and you still dare to provoke me to leave my post."
"How can this be called desertion?" the servant said, grasping the butler's hand. "Everyone sees how hard you've worked. I was just trying to relieve you."
The housekeeper was so angry that he gasped, but he also felt that what the servant said made some sense and did not refute it.
Seeing this, the servant knew something was up and continued, "Don't worry, that woman is from a legitimate background. I spent a lot of effort to get her. Although she's not as good as a virgin, she has her own unique skills. She's incredibly charming. I guarantee you'll be completely satisfied. You'll be more comfortable watching us work, right? If you overwork yourself and something happens to you, what will the servants do?"
The housekeeper narrowed his eyes and said, "You are the first one to send a woman to your brother-in-law's room."
"Brother-in-law, you're joking." The servant pretended to be serious. "Women are like clothes. They need to be changed. And I know in my heart that I can get to where I am today because of your appreciation."
"Hmph, you have a conscience, kid." The butler's expression softened completely. "Where is he now?"
"In the west wing, the one closest to the lake."
The housekeeper glanced at the front yard and saw that he had almost finished his work. It was indeed time to take a break. "You stay here and help me watch. If the master is looking for me, please report it immediately."
The servant stood up straight and said, "Don't worry, brother-in-law, I know what to do."
The butler nodded, gave a few more instructions, and then walked towards the west wing with a lantern.
It had not yet rained, but thunder and lightning roared and flashed in the sky. The butler crossed the corridor and walked on the gravel path leading to the west wing. Thinking of the pleasure on the bed, he hummed a tune and his steps became lighter.
A huge bolt of lightning tore through the night sky. Next to the rockery that the butler had just passed by, a hideous and strange face was reflected, flashing for a moment and then disappearing.
Then came a roar of thunder that shook the earth. The lantern, held steady in the butler's hand, fell to the ground, the candlelight inside flickering and fading before it died down.
In the mourning hall, the magistrate sat slumped in front of the brazier with a look of despair on his face, mechanically throwing paper money into the brazier.
The magistrate's wife, who was standing by, covered her face with a handkerchief, sobbing and muttering words like "my poor son" from time to time.
In a seemingly inconspicuous corner stood two servants in mourning scarves. They were called servants only because of their clothes. Even if they lowered their heads to reduce their presence, their aura was more conspicuous than the coffin in the middle of the mourning hall.
But these two people were completely unaware of it and thought they were hiding it well.
On the rooftop directly opposite the mourning hall, a dark figure with a sinister face stood there, silently watching the scene. In its hand, the shadowy figure held something dripping with liquid. In a flash of lightning, the shadowy figure moved, passing the mourning hall door at an extremely fast speed.
The guard at the gate only felt a dark shadow flash by and didn't notice anything unusual. The two "servants" rushed out almost immediately, swords drawn, and arrived at the front of the courtyard, looking around vigilantly.
Nothing was found.
"Where did you go?" Xue Feiheng asked puzzledly.
Xie Sui noticed something strange and squatted down. He touched his index finger to a small droplet on the bluestone floor, twisted it with his thumb, and said, "It's blood."
"ah--!!!"
A piercing scream rang out from the mourning hall, almost at the same time as Xie Sui's words. The two hurried inside and saw a horrifying scene.
The candlelight in the mourning hall was dim. The people who had been kneeling in front of the coffin had now scattered and fled. The only one who did not leave was the county magistrate's wife. She looked terrified and pointed at the head on the coffin with trembling fingers.
"Ghost... ghost..."
A flash of lightning flashed, allowing everyone to see the true appearance of the head - the hair was messy, and the eyes were wide open "looking" at the magistrate's wife. The expression was calm, and it was obvious that he had no idea how he died.
The magistrate's wife's eyes rolled back and she fell backwards.
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